We Are The People

“The Glorious Revolution for civil and religious liberty.” King James II of England – a Catholic convert – had a son in 1688 that replaced his (Protestant) daughter Mary as first in line for the English throne. In order to prevent a Catholic succession, William of Orange, Protestant ruler of Holland and Mary’s cousin and husband set sail in October with 40,000 men in 463 ships (WP). He is shown in this new board in Main Street, Markethill leading his troops across the Boyne in Ireland. His success in deposing James would become known as the “Glorious Revolution.”

There are three Biblical references inside the band:
Psalm 60 v.4 “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth”;
Isaiah 13 v.2 “Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles”;
Psalm 95 v.7 “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” 
and a possible signature “RGm”

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 squire93@hotmail.com
X07702 X07703

The Falls Road Massacre

Muralist Gerard ‘Mo Chara’ Kelly (whose catalogue of work can be seen in a separate site) and others from Gael Force Art (Fb) have mounted a three-piece memorial for the centenary of the Falls Road Massacre in which four people were killed – one of them being Mo Chara’s great uncle Jimmy Shields – in a 5-minute shooting spree by a “special patrol” on the night of the funerals of three men killed by the ‘RIC Murder Gang’ (see the 2007 post). For more background see the memorial’s Facebook page.

More than 500 people were killed in Belfast from 1920 to 1922; for details and their locations see The Social Geography Of Violence During The Belfast Troubles.

“These four innocent local men were murdered by an RIC/British Army death squad near this spot in [September 28th] 1920: James Shields, William Teer, Robert Gordon, Thomas Barkley.” With perhaps the first appearance of a hashtag on a plaque:

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07704 X07705 X07706 X07707 [X08364] [X11833] [X11834]

Sandy Row District

Bannerettes at the top of Sandy Row. On the left, “St Nicholas Church Temperance LOL No 782”. On the right, “Sandy Row RBDC [Royal Black District Chapter] No. 3, Belfast”. The No. 3 chapter was formed in 1885 (Belfast Grand Black Chapter Fb | web). Both groups are based in Sandy Row Orange Hall

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07468

Harland House

Still in the window of Harland House (Templemore Avenue, east Belfast) two years after the World Cup, Union Flag and IFA bunting and a ‘Deutschland’ scarf. NI did not qualify, Germany did not make it to the knock-out stage, and England lost to Croatia in the semis.

It’s not known what the connection to Edward Harland (of Harland & Wolff) – please get in touch.

Click image again to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07210

Don’t Burst My Bubble

“Who’s in your bubble?” Bubbles are back on everyone’s mind with the introduction on Friday (Oct. 16th) of new restrictions – bubbles are now limited to ten people from two households (NIExecutive) – and a two-week closure of schools. FGB (tw | ig | web) painted this work in Kent Street as part of a socially-distanced HTN 2020.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07628

End British Internment

IRPWA board in Ardoyne in support of Saoradh’s Ciarán “Zack” Smyth who has been in Maghaberry since late March, after having his license revoked (RN). For more information and links, see Free Zack Smyth.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07648

The Machine Enslaves, The Hand Sets Free

The grey “machine” is encased in fluorescent colours in Rob Hilken’s (ig | web | Visual Arts Ireland) piece in Kent Street for HTN 2020.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07634 del Vasto

The Burning Bush

“To commemorate the establishment of Presbyterianism in Ireland through the formation of the first presbytery which met in Carrickfergus on 10th June 1642.” Presbyterianism began in Scotland circa 1560 under John Knox and spread to Ireland with the colonising settlers of the 1600s. (For more on the first presbytery, see Ancestry Ireland.) Although Presbyterians supported the Williamite campaign they were subsequently discriminated against as “dissenters” from Anglicanism.

The sculpture is at Joymount Presbyterian in Carrickfergus.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07402 X07403 X07404

Dogs On The Street

Even in the dogs in the street know this is a cracker piece of street art by Verz (ig | Fb) in Kent Street for HTN 2020.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07605